Former United States Vice President Mike Pence said that history would hold former President Donald Trump accountable for the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot, which he says endangered his family.
In a speech on Saturday during the annual Gridiron Club Dinner held in Washington, which is usually a venue for lighthearted ribbing between lawmakers, government officials, and the district's media veterans, Pence took a shot at his former running mate during a time that conservative media commentators and some Republican officials in Congress are once again trying to downplay the severity of the Capitol Hill riot.
Mike Pence Criticizes Donald Trump
The former vice president said that tourists do not injure 140 police officers by going sightseeing to the Capitol. His remarks came as an implicit rebuke of a claim by Fox News host Tucker Carlson and other conservatives. It was used as they selected specific security camera footage to paint the incident as a largely peaceful demonstration.
Thousands of hours of footage were released to Carlson by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Pence added that tourists refrain from breaking down the doors to reach the speaker of the House or voice their threats against public officials, as per the New York Times.
The former Indiana governor also reprimanded Trump personally when he said that the former president was wrong when he claimed that Pence had the right to overturn the 2020 election. He added that his former running mate's words endangered his family and everyone else at the Capitol that day.
The timing of Pence's remarks is significant as Trump and his ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, are currently the only two major candidates for the Republican presidential nomination. However, other potential candidates are edging closer to an official announcement of their runs.
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Republicans Downplaying the Capitol Hill Riot
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is on a swing through early primary and caucus states, including Iowa and Nevada. On the other hand, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is holding a "listening tour" in the same states trying to shore up support. The situation comes as Pence himself is considering a 2024 presidential run.
The former vice president also took some time in his speech to scold people who downplayed the severity of the incident where a large crowd stormed the Capitol. He also chastised Republican lawmakers who minimized the insurrection, according to CNN.
Pence noted that the Capitol Hill riot was a "disgrace" and said it mocks decency to portray the incident in any other way. Furthermore, he said that people have a right to know what happened during the insurrection. This remark came days after he asked a judge to block a subpoena for this testimony to the special counsel investigating the Capitol Hill riot.
In the days before the Jan. 6, 2021, incident, Trump pressured Pence to overturn the election result where Joe Biden won. When the former vice president refused, the rioters later stormed the building with some chanting that they wanted to "hang Mike Pence," said Yahoo News.
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